SHARPIE TIE DIE BOOK COVER ART
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Who doesn’t love school supplies? We love them as much as teachers as we did as students, and now we like to find lots of creative ways to use them. At the beginning of each school year it’s a tradition to cover your textbooks. Gone seem to be the days of boring brown paper bags, and now book covers show a student’s style. Why not combine a cool school supply art project and a way to re-purpose something old?

Grab an old t-shirt that you’re going to toss and make it into a one of a kind book cover!

All you need is:

• 100% cotton t-shirt (preferably white)
• Sharpie markers (a variety of colors)
• Rubbing alcohol
• Medicine/eye dropper
• Cookie sheet
• Clothespins

Cut your t-shirt down to a rectangle that is long and wide enough to create a cover for the book of choice. Lay the t-shirt flat and clip to the sides of a cookie sheet using clothespins. Make sure to pull the t-shirt as taut as possible while clipping. Using your Sharpie makers make designs such as the circle and dot pattern seen above. Pour rubbing alcohol into a small bowl. Fill your eye dropper with alcohol and then start dripping in the middle of each design. The more you flood the center area, the more the design spreads. There is no way to mess this back to school art project up, so have fun!

We love how our book covers turned out, but you could do tons with Sharpie art. Cut the shirt into smaller pieces and slide into the front cover of your binders. You could make artwork for your locker, recover an out of date lunch bag, make patches for an old backpack, and more.

If you are going to wash the item that you’ve designed it is suggested that you set your artwork with a hot iron first and wash on cold separately.

For more back to school inspirations and creativity for kids visit us at  www.simplysprouteducate.com and our newly opened Teacher’s Notebook store.

Do not forget about the First Day of School Printables. Pin to Pinterest for next year!

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

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We’re kicking off a Back to School Bash with Frugal Coupon Living this week! When Ashley asked us to share some back to school ideas, we couldn’t be more thrilled. Being teachers we get just as excited (or nervous) to head back to the classroom as the kids do. For the next several weeks we’ll share with you some fun and educational ways to get in the school spirit.

Packing lunches can be a dreaded task in even the most organized of households. Use this art project as a perfect way to have your little ones help jump start your packing parties.

Supplies:

• Paper lunch sacks
• Washable paint (we used red, green, and white)
• Apple sliced in half
• Cork
• Scraps of ribbon
• Hole puncher
• Black marker
• Paper plates

Lay out a couple of paper plates for your kids with some paint on each of them. Show them how the apple can double as a stamp. Have them cover the cut side of apple with paint and stamp their bags. They can use the cork to make polka dots. Once they’re dry you can use the black marker to finish off the design. By folding the top of the bag over once and hole punching, you’ve prepared your bag to be used as soon as school starts. Have the kids design special ones for themselves or their siblings. Let them dry and store them away for back to school time. The final touch is some cute ribbon through the holes on the top once it’s stuffed with a yummy lunch!

For more educational ideas visit us at www.simplysprouteducate.com.

Don’t forget our FREE First Day of School Printables – Pin to Pinterest!

Check out these other Back to School Frugal Coupon Living FREEBIES and Crafts:

1.) Introduction – Project Lunchbox – Pin It

2.) ABC School Days Theme – Pin It

3.) Shark Week Lunch Theme – Pin It

4.) Camping Theme Lunch – Pin It

5.) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme – Pin It

6.) Bug Lunch Theme – Pin It

7.) Birthday Lunch Theme – Pin It

8.) Keep Calm and Teach On FREE Printable and Pencil Vase – Pin It

9.) Face Fruit and Food Stickers and FREE Lunch Notes – Pin It

Also check out Back to School Deals on Frugal Coupon Living.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

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Start the school year off on your teacher’s good side with this super sharp back to school gift!  A simple and easy craft to do with kids before that first bell rings.  Gather a few supplies around the house and be ready to show your teacher appreciation!

Items needed: 

• A rinsed and cleaned empty spaghetti jar
• Several packs of unsharpened pencils
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Ribbon
• White card stock paper
• Scissors
• Flowers
• Printable tags found below
• White canvas tote*

We love that this craft involves repurposing something that would otherwise be tossed or recycled.  Of course any round vase or jar will do.  Working quickly, put horizontal lines of glue around the top portion and bottom portion of the jar.  Work to cover a little space at a time so the glue doesn’t harden.  Press the pencils, eraser end up, on the jar.  Continue until you’ve covered the circumference of the jar.  Using hot glue, make a ring around the pencils, about half way down.  Press your ribbon into the glue to adhere to the pencils.  Print the tag below on white card stock paper and tack on ribbon with a dot of hot glue.  Now fill with some fresh flowers to brighten your new teacher’s day!

PIN IT TO PINTEREST or get the FREE PRINTABLE

You can really be the teacher’s pet by printing the large circle above on iron-on transfer paper.  Pick up an inexpensive canvas bag from your local craft store and make a great tote for your teacher.

For the complete Sunny Days classroom printable kit, plus other great back to school ideas, visit  www.simplysprouteducate.com.

* Totes can be found at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s. You can also pick up a FREE tote from Vistaprint. Add the teacher’s name, school name, or even a fun education quote. A simple Google search can help. Grab your Craft Store Coupons!

If You Like This, Check Out These Other Posts:

There is a lot going on in Back to School and the Back to School Series.

• Free Lunch Printables
• Fun Apple Stamped Lunch Bags
• First Day of School Signs – PreK to 5th
• FREE Morning Routine Printable
• Free Lunch Money/Slip Printable
• Free Back to School Calendar, Pay Shipping
• Free Morning Routine Printable

Also search our Themed Lunchboxes

1.) Introduction – Project Lunchbox – Pin It

2.) ABC School Days Theme – Pin It

3.) Shark Week Lunch Theme – Pin It

4.) Camping Theme Lunch – Pin It

5.) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Theme – Pin It

6.) Bug Lunch Theme – Pin It

7.) Happy Birthday Lunchbox – Pin It

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.